Welcome to my jukebox Hits! I'm counting down my all-time favorites from 50 to 1!

Today's song is 'Garden Party' by teenage heartthrob, Ricky Nelson. This comes by way of a special request from Gloria (Gloria....), one of my poetry mentors here on FanStory.

She has a thing for Ricky Nelson, which is completely understandable, and has requested this particular song.

Our first sighting of Ricky was in the sitcom, The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet, which debuted on October 3, 1952, and ran until September 3, 1966, to become one of the longest-running sitcoms in television history. The Nelson family captured our attention with their family interactions, school daze, and assorted mishaps. Remember Thorny? I miss those evenings when the entire family could watch TV together without multiple warnings for content. Comedy was really comedy, and even the commercials were hilarious.

The television show was the diving board for Ricky and his acting and musical career. Although he came from money, money can't buy love... or a voice like his. He had real talent, and wrote ten original songs.

'Garden Party' was not well-received at first; and was a direct jab to the those who wanted Ricky to look the same, and sing the same ol' songs. His self-discovery rattled quite a few; but the song went on to reach the #1 spot on the record charts. This was also Ricky Nelson's last hit.

{Garden Party Lyrics}

Went to a garden party to reminisce with my old friends
A chance to share old memories and play our songs again
When I got to the garden party, they all knew my name
No one recognized me, I didn't look the same
But it's all right now, I learned my lesson well.
You see, ya can't please everyone, so ya got to please yourself
People came from miles around, everyone was there
Yoko brought her walrus, there was magic in the air
And over in the corner, much to my surprise
Mr. Hughes hid in Dylan's shoes wearing his disguise
But it's all right now, I learned my lesson well.
You see, ya can't please everyone, so ya got to please yourself
Played them all the old songs, thought that's why they came
No one heard the music, we didn't look the same
I said hello to "Mary Lou", she belongs to me
When I sang a song about a honky-tonk, it was time to leave
But it's all right now, I learned my lesson well.
You see, ya can't please everyone, so ya got to please yourself
Someone opened up a closet door and out stepped Johnny B. Goode
Playing guitar like a-ringin' a bell and lookin' like he should
If you gotta play at garden parties, I wish you a lotta luck
But if memories were all I sang, I rather drive a truck
And it's all right now, learned my lesson well
You see, ya can't please everyone, so you got to please yourself.} *Source

I think I understand why Gloria requested this particular song. She writes poetry from her true authentic self, fresh every time. That's the valuable lesson here, at least for me. It's so easy to fall into the trap of trying to please everyone. You can't.

Enjoy his mellow voice and journey back in time. I've added two videos for good measure.

Until next time....